Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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207. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether there could be a potential impact on funding for the N13/N14/N15 which funding for same will be dependent on the assessment of their importance to the Comprehensive TEN-T network and which have not been approved yet. [3573/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme.  Within its annual budget the planning, design and implementation of individual road projects  is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Decisions on the transport elements of the Capital Plan 2016-2021 were framed by the conclusions reached in my Department’s Strategic Investment Framework for Land Transport. Based on the findings in that report it is envisaged that maintenance and renewal of the road network will continue to be the main priority over the next period and the bulk of the roads capital budget, approximately €4.4 billion, is earmarked for such essential work with a further €600 million allocated for implementation of the PPP road programme which is already underway. In this context it was not possible to include the upgrade of the N13/N14/N15 roads given the overall funding envelope available.  My Department has to work within the budgets included in the Capital Plan.

As regards the possibility of additional funding within the Plan period, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform is now commencing the Capital Plan review.  While there is a strong case for additional funding for the transport sector, the parameters for the review and the final decisions on allocations are matters for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and Government as a whole. The primary determinant of whether funding can be considered for additional schemes is the availability of Exchequer funding together with the strength of the project business case rather than its status vis-à-visthe TEN-T Regulations.